


A Geodesic of Souls

by SpaceCat



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 14:34:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8628199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceCat/pseuds/SpaceCat
Summary: What would happen if Talia never left Mars, was never control, and met Susan 20 years in the future?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [AsterHowl](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AsterHowl/pseuds/AsterHowl) for the story idea and encouragement.
> 
> Music listened to obsessively during writing: [Zoe Young, Sunshine on a Rainy Day](https://youtu.be/XOYPoCgvQgE)

Geodesic [jee-uh- **des** -ik] — In General Relativity, the trajectory in 4-dimensional space-time of a body with negligible mass on which only gravitational forces are acting.

 

_Mars, 2283AD_

I shifted position and silently cursed both the heavy early morning flow of people around me and the ironic desire for my old psi-dampening gloves. I hadn't worn them since the law had been repealed almost twenty years ago, but occasionally circumstances arose which reminded me that they hadn't been _all_ bad.

After arriving a whole week early, the Ranger I was expecting was delayed in landing by Port congestion. But finally I saw brown Ranger robes striding smoothly and powerfully towards me. I was shocked, not so much that it was a woman, but at the sheer force of personality that radiated from her. The crowd parted for her like a school of fish as she unerringly targeted my position. Her compellingly deep blue eyes had a power behind them that felt like being struck and made my knees weak. Stunned, I looked away.

She stopped in front of me and in a pleasant low pitched velvet rasp read my badge. "Talia Winters, Outplacement Coordinator, Mars Telepath Training Academy." She gave me an assessing look. "Well Talia Winters, I'm sorry for the delay, but it was hardly necessary to meet me."

I glanced back up cautiously but she had the reins of her personality in check and I spent a few seconds just looking at her. She was at least twice the age of any of the other Rangers that had been through here. Her dark hair was shot liberally through with gray and the lines around her mouth looked careworn, but there were smile crinkles at the corners of her eyes and I felt that she was probably only a few years older than my own fifty. Her blue eyes held an ageless calm, only recently acquired if the underlying dynamics meant anything. If she had any reaction to my extended perusal she made no mental or physical indication.

"My pleasure," I said finally. As I said it, I realized that it wasn't merely a polite bromide, I meant it. A spark of anticipation shot through me and I smiled.

∞

The maglev to the dome was backed up with these crowds so in silent accord we headed for the pedestrian tunnel. It was also packed but at least the stream of people was moving. We had not gone very far when there was a commotion ahead of us and a woman's voice cried out, "Help, my bag!"

The Ranger smoothly accelerated to a jog, the crowd parting for her once again, and without considering why I matched her pace. We reached the weeping woman in what seemed like only seconds and after a swift perusal to check for obvious injury, the Ranger cast a glance at me and raised an eyebrow. I silently nodded my head to her unspoken query, effortlessly understanding what she wanted. She launched herself back into the flow of people and I looked after her for a long moment before turning back to my charge.

As I eased the woman off to the side of the tunnel so that we could call security, I wondered at the ease of teamwork with the Ranger; it almost felt practiced. I knew she hadn't dealt with the Academy and my only other experience with Rangers had been during the Mars Rebellion more than two decades ago. And I was absolutely certain that I would remember _this_ ranger.

Once security had promised to dispatch an officer, another commotion approached. It was the Ranger dragging a scruffy young man with seemingly little effort despite his struggles.

"Is this him?" she addressed the now calmer woman.

The woman nodded affirmative as she started to cry again. "But where is my bag?" she wailed. "It had my week's pay."

The Ranger was terse. "He had already passed it to an accomplice before I got to him."

"Security is on the way," I interjected. The Ranger nodded her thanks approvingly.

The words were hardly out of my mouth when two security guards approached. While one took custody of the culprit, I made sure that the woman's statement was being taken down by the other. Once I was certain that she was in good hands, I turned to look for the Ranger.

I saw her a little ways off talking to a younger Ranger that had appeared from somewhere. He had fair curly hair and the remains of baby fuzz on his cheeks. By his body language I could tell that he viewed the older Ranger with an awe that bordered on fear. He held himself so ramrod straight that I was sure that a sinew was going to burst. She on the other hand had moderated her powerful personality once again. The military strictness of her shoulders had softened and she was speaking with apparent gentleness. Presently the youngster relaxed and his face eased into a rueful shy smile.

After some discussion, she gestured at the woman with the security guards and the young man nodded firmly, once again standing at attention. With a pat on the shoulder she sent him off. She looked up and caught my eye, and together we moved off leaving the tableau behind. She gestured back with a flick of her head. "She'll be taken care of now and her possessions found."

I wondered at her obvious authority. _Who is she?_ I looked back to see the younger Ranger talking to the victim and the security officers. "I'm glad." The poor woman looked after us both with obvious gratitude. "It feels good to be a hero," I mused out loud.

"Damsels in distress a specialty," she deadpanned and I laughed, delighted at this glimmer of humor.

Presently we reached the dome and the crowd dispersed enough to have a conversation so we stopped off to one side. "I wanted to tell you that we are on break and that no one else will be around for several more days yet," I said.

"That's fine; I have a few other things to take care of. If you will be around later, I would like a tour of your facility." She checked herself and rephrased it as less of a command. "That is, if you would please show it to me."

I snorted inwardly. _As if anyone would refuse you._ Aloud I said, "I would be happy to."

"Thank you. I will be back later." She bowed the Ranger way and in a swirl of robes strode away with that irresistibly powerful stride of hers.

I didn't bother to try and stop her to tell her where I'd be. I had a feeling she would find me.

∞

Being at loose ends made me a little out of sorts so I tried to catch up on a few reports. But I couldn't focus and finally pushed them aside. My co-workers had begged me to go with them on a brief holiday this week and would have a field day teasing me if they saw me working while classes were not in session. _And I'd deserve it too_ , I thought with a sigh. I didn't know what had gotten into me lately, but I just couldn't get interested in anything. That there was a contradictory undercurrent of uneasy anticipation just served to disturb me all the more. _Maybe I should have gone with them after all_.

Resolutely I shook off my grey mood. I prepared a picnic lunch and made myself go to a nearby park. I needed out of the office and into the open air of Mars Dome. I marched myself briskly along the man-made lake increasing my pace until I was breathing hard. At the far end I stopped and looked around, pleased.

I was alone in the weak sunlight streaming through the high clear dome above me, and maybe it was my imagination, but there seemed to be a cool breeze and I felt refreshed. I opted for the grass instead of the bench and when I finished eating I lay back and idly traced patterns in the ribs and panes of the dome, allowing my mind to drift.

When I opened my eyes sometime later, she was there, sitting on the bench. I hadn't heard her approach and made a slight sound of surprise.

She looked down at me questioningly.

 She had a beautiful profile and it improved my mood another notch. "Are you a ninja too, sneaking up on me like that?" I asked, with mock crossness.

She didn't smile exactly, but her eyes crinkled. "I didn't sneak, I walked," she said, and I could hear the answering warmth of humor in her voice. "You were asleep."

"I was not," I denied.

She raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow in silent eloquence.

I looked sheepish. "Ok, maybe just a little catnap."

She let it pass and looked around as I got to my feet. "This is a lovely place. I didn't know that it was here."

"It's fairly new," I said, sitting next to her. I tapped my forehead meaningfully. "This end of the lake is the quietest spot in Mars Dome."

"Ah, I understand." A pleasant silence settled over us. She surprised me with her stillness and I lowered my telepathic blocks. Her presence was a warm vibration next to me, but I sensed very little else from her and surreptitiously examined her out of the corner of my eye.

She turned her head suddenly to catch me. Again there was a hint of humor in her voice. "Is there something on my face?"

Embarrassed, I blurted a reply without thinking. "It's just that you're so much older than other Rangers that have come to pick up recruits." Indeed their youth and strength were exactly what you'd expect from a paramilitary organization. The same could be said for the telepaths that were now choosing to join them in ever increasing numbers.

"They are volunteers not recruits," she corrected. "And we accept _all_ who wish to serve others."

I continued to study her. Her face pleased me on some fundamental level. It was beautiful yes, but I'd known many beautiful women and had dated my share. No, there was something more… it was comfortable; it _fit_ , like a puzzle piece snicking into place. "How long ago did you volunteer?" I asked curiously, wanting to know more.

"I've only been with the Rangers a few years," she said. Her face creased into a slight amused smile. "But I didn't volunteer, I was recruited."

I smiled back and chuckled, glad that we had made this fleeting connection.

∞

We took a leisurely pace back down the lake. When we had returned most of the way she suddenly asked, "Tell me about your organization. You're an offshoot of the Psionic Monitoring Commission, correct?"

I stiffened at that. "No, we're not related at all." Old history dies hard with some people, and that was a contentious period and a controversial body. I knew that some people felt that for all its pretense of hunting down war criminals, it was just the disbanded and outlawed Psi Corps under a new name. "Of our twelve original organizers, two had been involved with the commission," I said guardedly. "But they had already resigned from it over doctrinal differences."

She made a noncommittal noise and then after a pause asked, "What about you?"

"I was a commercial telepath here on Mars before the Corps was dissolved. That work gradually dried up afterwards but I couldn't return to Earth because of the quarantine. I stayed here and ended up doing more and more criminal court work which I didn't like." I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye to see her reaction, but her face remained impassive. "So when an old schoolfellow of mine told me about the need for instructors at the Training Academy, I jumped at the opportunity."

We were back at the Academy by this time and I led to her through the various classrooms explaining the different departments. "We combined commercial and diplomatic work to make a new degree program. It went over quite well with the increased trade as the League of Non-Aligned Worlds joined the Interstellar Alliance."

She mostly listened with interest, though once I turned and caught a troubled expression on her face. Her comments were non-committal until we reached the children's classroom. I didn't need to explain who it was for; the bright colors and simplified teaching materials, not to mention toys strewn about, made it plain.

"You teach children here?" she asked, startled.

"Of course," I replied. "They need to learn to control their abilities even if they don't eventually make a living with them." I felt an odd pang of emotion radiating from her but her voice when she spoke was flat and cold and I shivered at the change in her demeanor.

"Do you have a separate dormitory for them or do you house them with the others?"

"I don't know what…" I started to say but she interrupted.

"And are they allowed parental visits these days?" Now her voice was overwhelmingly bitter.

I looked at her closely. There were storm clouds in her eyes and an underlying pain that told me that there was some personal story here. I didn't ask for details but consciously gentled my voice. "The adult students live wherever they want and the children remain with their families." I placed a hand on her arm, my body instantly aware of her warmth. "It's not like that anymore, Ranger, I promise you." I kept contact as I watched the conflict in her eyes, waiting for her to speak. The undercurrent of emotion coming from her had changed to grief.

Finally she gave up the effort to find words, spun on her heel and stalked out. I didn't try to stop her but followed behind as she exited the building. I stayed in the doorway and watched her go. There was tension in every line of her body and her powerful stride still caused people to step out of her way even when she was coming from behind them. I noticed idly that they hardly seemed aware of their own reaction and it suddenly occurred to me why. I nodded to myself in sympathy and understanding.

∞

My sense of anticipation grew throughout the rest of the afternoon. I did a little shopping then returned to my apartment and puttered around for a while. Just as I was beginning dinner the door chime sounded. The Ranger was standing there diffidently and my insides did a little happy dance at seeing her.

"Come in." I smiled warmly to let her know that she was welcome.

She stepped in and stopped, her eyes flicking around and taking in my small sitting room in an instant. "I just wanted to apologize for earlier." Her voice was quietly regretful.

"Well," I drew the word out as if having to carefully consider. _This is way too forward, but I can't resist._ "I will accept your apology under two conditions." She raised an eyebrow. I was coming to love that expression on her. "One, you have to tell me your name and two, stay and have dinner with me." I smiled again. "Dinner includes a nice bottle of wine that I expect you to share."

She considered me for a moment, then a faint twinkle showed in her eyes and the humor I had heard earlier returned to her voice. "Wouldn't that be three things then?"

"If you like," I said archly.

Her face relaxed into a full open smile. "Then you may call me Susan. I would enjoy having dinner with you; including the wine." I laughed and gestured her further in. The evening was shaping up nicely.

Susan followed me into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can do to help?" I heard her robes swishing behind me and felt her eyes on me.

_Hmm, dare I make one more push?_ I turned and looked her up and down, not bothering to hide my admiration for the way the ranger uniform outlined her figure. _Oh, hell yes._ "I'm afraid that I have one more demand to make."

She seemed to have caught my mood and took another step towards me, very deliberately raising an eyebrow as if knowing its effect on me. Her voice consciously deepened. "Indeed?" It felt like a velvet caress and delicious warmth started in the pit of my stomach.

I closed the distance between us and keeping our eyes locked, reached out to touch the green gem of the clasp on her robe. The stone was slick and cool under my fingers and I easily picked up the sensual jolt that went through her at my touch. I stroked it back and forth, drawing out the reaction and unconsciously drifting closer to her. The warmth started to radiate outwards to more interesting places. "Lose the cape, superhero. There are no damsels in distress here." _Not yet anyway_.

∞

Not wanting things to peak too early, I made an effort to tone it down. Accordingly our discussion over dinner covered a wide range of topics. At some point we were discussing the acceptance of telepaths into the Rangers. "Delenn started secretly adding Minbari telepaths during the Shadow War once we learned of their usefulness against the Shadows," Susan said. "After the civil war, Sheridan asked her to start adding more, both humans and from other races. But it stayed on an informal basis until he took over as head of the Rangers."

"Yes, that's when he contacted us," I said.

"Right. And after his death, Delenn asked me to maintain the program."

"You know President Delenn personally?" I asked curiously.

She nodded. "We've been friends for years; almost since the start of the Shadow War."

I finally added two and two together. "You're _that_ Susan? Susan _Ivanova_ … General Ivanova… war hero Ivanova?" I looked at her, aghast.

"I do not consider anything I did in the war to be particularly heroic," she said stiffly. "I survived, that's all." She looked as if she wanted to add something more, then gave up and shrugged, obviously uncomfortable at my reaction.

I didn't pursue it. "So you're Anla'Shok Na," I said. "No wonder that poor child this morning looked like he was going to sprain something."

Susan's shoulders relaxed and she chuckled. "Yes, he was a little overwrought, wasn't he?" She shook her head. "I keep trying to get them to treat me as any other Ranger. There was far too much of a cult of personality surrounding Sheridan after the war. And to some extent, around Delenn as well."

I could only marvel at her casual manner of speaking about people that had near-mythical status here, but it was obvious that she didn't like discussing anything to do with the war or its aftermath, so I nudged the conversation elsewhere. "So tell me more about your plans to redirect the Rangers to be more service oriented."

∞

We moved into the sitting room after dinner.

"That was delicious, thank you," Susan said. "The wine was excellent too." She dropped onto the couch with an uncharacteristic lack of grace. "Hmm, been too long since I've had alcohol, my head is feeling that last glass I think." She slouched down and heavily propped her feet up on the coffee table.

_I'm feeling it too_ , I didn't say aloud. What I wanted to do was sprawl all over her, but I satisfied myself with matching her posture, sitting close but not quite touching. My head was definitely muzzy and I contemplated the ceiling while soaking up as much of her warmth as I could.

The problem with looking at the ceiling was that it didn't afford me a view of her, so I carefully rolled on my side to face her. Her profile was just as lovely as ever and I floated in a pink cloud of appreciation. I opened my mind wide to the warm vibrations emanating from her. The wine had clearly taken the edge off her mental control. Finally I couldn't resist my growing desire to touch her and watched in lazy slow motion as my hand settled on her arm. "You know," I said before I could stop myself, "you control your abilities very well for not having had any formal training."

She stiffened at that and I gripped her arm more firmly. "It's all right. You can't get in trouble for it anymore." When she didn't immediately relax, I added, "When I was an instructor, I had a number of students who had spent their whole lives hiding from the Corps. After it was abolished, they became free to explore their talents."

Susan shifted uncomfortably, but didn't pull away. "Who taught you?" I asked.

Her voice was scarcely above a whisper. "My mother."

"So she was a telepath?" At her bare fraction of a nod, I asked, "What happened?"

"Sleepers."

I could tell it was an old pain by the comfort of familiarity that bound it. I didn't need to ask for details; I knew what the side effects were. "I'm sorry." I scooted closer and laid my head on her shoulder.

Gradually I felt her body relax against mine and her pain dulled. I lifted a hand and caressed her cheek, turning her face towards mine. I kissed her gently, brushing my mind against hers as I did.

She pulled back immediately. "Stop."

Reluctantly, I released her lips and dropped my head back onto her shoulder, trying to hide my disappointment.

She gave an exaggerated sigh. "I didn't mean stop kissing me. Just stay out of my head, okay?"

"Well it isn't _nearly_ as much fun that way, but if you insist." I lifted my head and took possession of her lips once again.

She tasted of the spices from dinner and the wine and something undefinably her own. It quickly wasn't enough; I needed better leverage and control. Without losing contact with her mouth I rolled to my knees and straddled her lap. Her hands helped settle and position me, while I tilted her head up and probed her mouth deeper.

But that wasn't enough for long either and my hips started a slow rocking against her. Her hands caressed my sides and drifted down to my hips to aid my motion. My rocking became more urgent and her hands slipped further to grasp and knead my ass, thrusting me faster and harder.

A remote part of my mind registered the heat of those hands, but my immediate attention remained focused on the escalation of the aching pleasure between my legs. I dropped the last of my telepathic shields and soaked up every last bit of energy she was putting out. My movements became frantic and I pulled my mouth from hers just long enough to gasp, "In distress, hero."

"Can't have that, can we?" she purred before taking my mouth again. Then she brought one hand forward and between us to reach between my legs and cup me firmly.

I exploded. My mouth being filled with her demanding tongue, I couldn't scream aloud, but my mental cry of triumphant ecstasy must have been heard by every teep within a five block radius. I kept my promise and didn't touch Susan's mind, but I could tell by the jolt that went through her sturdy frame that even her latent abilities had picked it up.

Suddenly she stood up, arms holding me tight against her, mouths and torsos still locked together. I wrapped my legs around her and held on as she walked me back to the bedroom. I ended up on my back with Susan moving over me in the most delightful manner as various bits of clothing made their way to the floor.

But that wasn't what I wanted, so with supreme effort – and monumental sacrifice on my part as she really had the most fantastic mouth – I pushed her off of me and flipped her over onto her back and pounced on her. "Oh no, it's my turn." I ran my fingers lightly up her bare flanks causing her to gasp and squirm. "Ticklish, are we?" and I did it again.

This caused her to squirm again and burst out giggling, making her face look so much younger. "Only when I'm half-drunk apparently."

"Then I must not let this information go to waste," I said wickedly. She laughed and I knew that for the moment at least, she had left remembered pain behind.

To have her beneath me was intoxicating, far more so than the wine. Though middle age had added an outer layer of softness, the muscles beneath were still firm and the power of her psi-enhanced personality bled out of her in waves that nearly sent me over the edge once more. I tickled her again as I put my mouth to work, determined that she would know nothing but pleasure for the rest of the night.

∞

The next day she was again off on her own business, but she showed up at the same time for dinner bringing Chinese take-out. We left it abandoned and cooling on the kitchen table, barely making it to the bed.

The third day was the return of the outgoing Ranger volunteers as well as the returning staff to prepare for pre-term registration. After breakfast and a joint shower I accompanied Susan to the Academy to meet her charges. There were only four this term and she spent the morning with them in an informal orientation.

I had tasks elsewhere and only caught periodic glimpses of them. It was interesting to watch the body language of the participants. Susan was in full coaxing charmer mode, her dynamic personality evident even at a distance. The students… _No, volunteers_ , I reminded myself, started out stiff and formal, sitting respectfully at a distance.

Each time I glimpsed them however, they seemed more relaxed as their self-imposed boundaries broke down and they drew closer, ending up in a tight cluster around her and excitedly animated in their discussion. I chuckled to myself. _Don't charm them too much, Susan, or you'll start your own cult of personality._

My observations were entertaining, but they were just a way to distract myself from the realization that she would be leaving the following day. I pushed the sense of imminent loss away for the umpteenth time and returned to the tasks at hand.

Later we were crashed on the couch drinking wine after dinner. "Saw you take the kids out to the lake after lunch," I said. "What was that stumble you had coming back? I thought the kids would hurt themselves trying to be the one to catch you."

Susan grimaced and lifted one leg up, gingerly rotating her foot around. "Trick ankle. I broke it many years ago, now it gives me occasional trouble."

I smiled. "But of course you had a dramatic and exciting story to tell about it, right?"

"On the contrary, it was a stupid sidelight on some failed diplomacy." She chuckled. "But they were being so annoyingly solicitous about it that I gave them a stern lecture on being too eager to save the universe and that they should pace themselves because there would always be a price to pay."

I laughed outright at that. "I'll bet that went over well." I put my wine glass down on the coffee table and straddled her lap, nuzzling her neck. "How do you intend to pace yourself tonight?"

A deep slow chuckle was my only answer as her hands moved over me trailing fire.

∞

In the dark of my bedroom we undressed one another, standing close and barely touching. With her eyes intently on me, I lightly traced the bones of her face with delicate fingertips, following the flowing line of her neck across broad shoulders, and then fluttering them hummingbird-like over her breasts. Her eyes flickered closed.

My fingers continued to drift with a mind of their own over the flat planes of her stomach before heading lower. She sighed as I dipped into her wetness, but still pulled my hands up to hold them at my side. Moving slowly she leaned forward and rested her forehead against mine to look me in the eyes at close range.

We stood like that for a long time then I faintly felt the hesitant brush of her mind against mine. I opened my mind to her, wordlessly encouraging and beckoning her to enter me. With uncharacteristic hesitation and caution her vibrancy slowly seeped into me bringing warmth and comfort. And there it was again, that click of perfectly matched interlocking pieces; a fit so flawless that it made one want to cry.

I kissed her slowly while drawing her deeper into me. There was no sense of urgency as I set a slow rhythmic cadence caressing both mind and body. We penetrated deeper and deeper into one another; the telepath's silent world of mirrors coalesced around us and we were lost to the world for a while.

Later, still joined, we dreamed lucidly; our respective memories sprang to life with preternatural clarity… The bittersweet day I took over my current position at the Academy after Julia's death – she who had been my teacher and mentor, then my friend and later my partner… Becoming Entil'zha in a garden of stone and crystal when Delenn pinned a green gem on my new brown robes… Milling the halls of the Psi Corps facility on Mars in the middle of the night with hundreds of other telepaths all wondering at the news that the Corps had been abolished and rejoicing… Watching the destruction of Babylon 5, suddenly nostalgic for the years I had commanded it…

Somewhere in the night as our minds settled deeper and deeper together, the scenes became strange. The faces were ours but the times and places were nothing that we recognized. Lives where we loved, others where we fought, and a few where by chance or accident we failed to find one another that were spent in desolate loneliness until their solitary ends.

∞

I awoke early and indulged myself with watching her.

Finally blue eyes blinked open. "You know," she said, voice still rough with sleep, "The Minbari believe that souls are reborn into subsequent generations again and again until they all come together at the end of time."

"I believe it… now. I felt the jolt of recognition the moment I first saw you." I smiled. "I'm glad we found one another again."

She kissed me lightly. _Drawn together as if by gravity_. Her psi-voice whispered through my mind as naturally as if she'd always done it.

_That had better not be a comment on the size of my ass, Entil'zha._

She laughed and before I could react, she rolled me onto my stomach and started caressing the body part in question. "Mmm," she purred into my ear. "I think it's perfect." A questing hand slipped between my legs and started a different kind of caress.

I arched into her and a pleading whimper escaped me. There would be no sleeping late that morning.

∞

When I awoke again I was alone. The space next to me was still warm and I could hear a tuneless whistling from the kitchen. My eyes prickled with sudden tears and the crushing loneliness I had felt at Julia's death threatened; the grief of loss was no less for only having known Susan for three days. I looked with dissatisfaction and no small amount of dread upon the same old routines of the coming term. Susan had brought with her a crisp wind that had cleared out the cobwebs and I recognized now the discontent that underlay my restlessness and apathy of late.

Determined, I pushed it all down deep, putting on my most cheerful countenance and heading to the kitchen, not breaking even when I saw her kitted out in full Ranger regalia.

Susan turned with a smile as I entered. "Coffee?"

I accepted the mug gratefully and took a sip. "Mmm, the real thing. Where did you find it?" Even now some Earth delicacies were hard to come by.

"I have my sources," she said, and with a smirk she darted in to kiss me. "Tastes even better on you."

Tears welled up again and I turned away to hide them. _God, I'm going to miss you._ Warm arms wrapped around me from behind and held me tightly.

"I've never been one for relationships," she said finally. "Either I was about to be shipped out or they were. And even when there was time, I've never really completely trusted anyone since my mother died." She turned me around in her arms and cupped my face with one hand, wiping an errant tear with her thumb. "But it's different with you…"

I broke in desperately. "You're the boss, right? Can't you stay one more day?"

She sighed. "We'd just be having this conversation all over again tomorrow morning."

"No we won't." I plowed on desperately, hardly able to see for the idea suddenly shaping itself in my mind. "I just need time to wind up my affairs here on Mars then I'll come with you." I faltered a bit. "I don't know about joining the Rangers but…" My voice trailed off.

"That is not a decision to be made quickly or lightly," she said solemnly, almost sternly. I held my breath as she held my gaze. After an interminable wait she finally seemed to come to a decision of her own. "But if you want, the head of the Interstellar Alliance is based in Tuzanor and I have friends in high places." She grinned unexpectedly. "I'm sure we can find a job for you if you insist on one."

The tension went out of me leaving me breathless. "So you'll give me a day?"

Her eyes glowed as she took my face in both hands and kissed me deeply. _I'll give you a lifetime._

∞

Wrapping things up took longer than I'd anticipated, but two days later the Ranger shuttle lifted off with me on board. I watched Mars shrink on the view screen as we pulled away to meet the White Star. It still floated below us as we filed out of the shuttle on our way to a new life.

I did not look back.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Questions, comments, suggestions, insults, typos, or if you need a great pumpkin muffin recipe, you can reach me here:
> 
> atomic.space.kitteh [at] gmail [dot] com  
> =^..^=


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